Bad BOOT Sector????

[blubomber]

I am having trouble with a Hard Drive in a Dell Optiplex system. The drive is a maxtor 10GB drive. I have tried using the Dell hard drive diagnostics utility, but it says the drive is ok.

The problems started when the computer would boot and say it could not find an operating system. I tried remormatting the hard drive using the windows 2000 setup, but when the setup program reboots the computer, i still get that no operating system could be found. I can hook up the hard drive in another computer and read and write info to it with no problems. It is just when i try to install an OS and try to boot to it is where it fails.

Are there some utilities out there to test the MBR? What can i do from here to try and save this hard drive?

[rpertusio]

There are a few possiblities:

(1) You left a floppy disk in the computer when it was starting

(2) Your BIOS is not set to boot to the right drive. Check the BIOS settings for boot order, and see if you can set the Hard Drive as the 1st boot device (or 2nd.. or 3rd...)

(3) The hard drive really IS messed up, and you could probably do a low-level format (returns it to the state as when it left the factory). You can do a low-level format by using the Maxtor PowerMax utility. Test number 5 or 6 (Low Level format) are the ones you want. Check out the PowerMax manual (PDF!) if you have any questions.
Warning! Low Level format will permanently erase everything on that drive! Be careful!

- rp

[Bill in SD, CA]

Maybe a MBR problem.

Fix maybe?

Bill

[rpertusio]

Originally posted by Bill in SD, CA
Maybe a MBR problem.
Fix maybe?

If so.. maybe booting to the 2000 CD and choosing "R" (Recovery Console) will help. try the commands:
FIXBOOT
- and -
FIXMBR

[blubomber]

rpertusio,

I downloaded the stuff from the Maxtor site, thank you.

I used the utility to check the drive and do a low level format. I also tried using the FIXMBR and FIXBOOT from the recovery console and now i am getting, "A disk read error occured". Drive still wont boot.

The drive passed all the tests from the Maxtor diskette.

Is this drive dead?

[rpertusio]

Did you check steps 1 and 2 also?

(1) You left a floppy disk in the computer when it was starting

(2) Your BIOS is not set to boot to the right drive. Check the BIOS settings for boot order, and see if you can set the Hard Drive as the 1st boot device (or 2nd.. or 3rd...)

(4) Do you have the latest bios for your computer? If you need help finding it, post your computer model number and I (or someone) can help you find the latest BIOS.

(5) Have you tried booting from that drive on another computer?

(6) There are tiny jumpers on the back of the drive... are they set correctly? (Master/Slave/CS)

(7) If you disconnect all the drives (including hard drives, CD drives and floppy drives), can you boot to it now?

[ running out of ideas ]
- rp

[blubomber]

There is not floppy in the floppy drive.

Jumper settings are correct.

Cannot boot to the drive when it is in another computer.

BIOS version is up to date.

Setting the IDE Hard drive to be the first boot device also does not work.

i am also out of ideas. I am just going to call the manufacturer and see about getting it replaced. It is a Dell computer.